Glossier Moonstone Haloscope Review, Photos, Swatches
Moonstone
Glossier Moonstone Haloscope ($22.00 for 0.19 oz.) is a translucent, dewy base with very fine, opal micro-pearl. It didn’t seem to be white-based, just veering on translucent-to-clear, so it yielded a glossy, wet-look on the skin with subtle pearl. It would work well for someone who has no desire to add color or depth to their look or used to pat over another highlighter to add glossiness without altering the underlying color.
The consistency was more balm-like with moderate slip and some tackiness, and while it never dried down, it wasn’t prone to moving around and migrating throughout the day–it stayed in place well for eight hours and only then did I start seeing very slight migration downward but it didn’t cause my foundation to break down prematurely. I liked using fingertips to lightly dab and pat the product into place and then used the side of my fingertip to gently diffuse the edge if necessary, and I didn’t have any trouble with it lifting up my base products.
FURTHER READING: Formula Overview for details on general performance and characteristics (like scent).
Top Dupes
- Laura Geller Diamond Dust (LE, $26.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Glossier Quartz (P, $22.00) is darker, warmer (90% similar).
- Giorgio Armani No. 07 (P, $62.00) is more shimmery, less glossy (90% similar).
- Physicians Formula Pearl (P, $10.99) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Urban Decay Aura (P, $28.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Chanel Rosy Light Drops (P, $50.00) is cooler (90% similar).
- MAC Silverlite (P, $33.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Urban Decay Luminous (P, $28.00) is more shimmery (90% similar).
- Tom Ford Beauty Intensity 1 (Highlight) (PiP, ) is warmer (90% similar).
- NYX Moon Glow (P, $6.99) is warmer, less glossy (90% similar).
Formula Overview
$22.00/0.19 oz. - $115.79 Per Ounce
The formula is supposed to give a "hydrated, dewy finish" with an "otherworldly sheen that's never dry, never glittery." First, it's important to note that this product is not marketed as an intense, metallic highlight, and second, the other key takeaway is the use of the word "dewy." It's a luminous, pearlescent highlighter that is cream-based and has some tackiness on the skin, which helped it adhere and stay in place better without destroying base products (like foundation) over time while maintaining a true, dewy finish. Despite the tackiness, it felt very lightweight and worked well on bare skin or on top of foundation (even heavier, matte foundations). If you love glowing, lit-from-within and want some pearl and sheen, this formula just might work out for you.
Browse all of our Glossier Haloscope swatches.
Ingredients
Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Beeswax, Mica, Silica, Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis(Sweet Almond) Oil, Tocopheryl Acetate, Nylon-12, Moonstone Powder, Sodium Hyaluronate, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Tin Oxide, Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891).
Disclaimer: Ingredient lists are as available by the brand (or retailer) at the time of publishing. Please always check product packaging, if it exists, for the ingredient list applicable to the product you're purchasing, or the brand or retailer's website for the most up-to-date ingredient list.
If you don’t mind Christine, is there much difference on the face between Moonstone and Quartz? Is Moonstone glossier? Is Quartz significantly more tinted? I’d like something glossy but I’m not into whiteish, frosty highlights, I like it to blend with my skin. Though maybe Moonstone might be more versatile if it is “colorless”… it could be mixed/ layered with my other highlights to gloss them up.
Quartz is more beige, so if you are fair to light-medium (and not super, super cool-toned), it’d probably the same as virtually colorless and slightly more “natural.”
I wish these didn’t have coconut oil in them or I would try them. 🙁 This kind of highlight is right up my alley! I might try the new Pat McGrath one instead, but the price point of it isn’t as nice!
Darn! 🙁
Allison have you tried Nudestix all over face glow in Illumi-Naughty? It doesn’t contain coconut oil but kaolin and it’s vegan, hypoallergenic, gluent/cruelty/fragrance-free + no phthalates, parabens, sulfates. I have Illumi-Naughty and it’s the kind of highlighter that catches the light without being tacky. I’m fair/light skinned btw.
No, I have not. Thank you for the suggestion! It looks great!?
Glossier doesn’t ship yet to Qc province but a friend of mine picked Quartz and Moonstone when she was in the US. Tried them both this summer and although I have dry skin, they don’t work for me. I think it’s because of the core that is made of solid oils. They made the area where I applied them look oily, as the oils melted onto the skin once outside, and never actually got absorbed into the skin (I applied them over foundation). I wonder how they behave in winter. Personally, I prefer the Nudestix in Illumi-Naughty to Glossier. The formula of Nudestix suits me better, probably because it contains kaolin (a type of clay) and that prevents it from looking and feeling oily.
Thank you for sharing, Nicole!
My pleasure Christine! I’m curious to try again Glossier’s Haloscope during the fall/winter. I guess that the coconut oil being so high on the ingredient list (2nd) is a tricky one, especially during the summertime, as it melts at temperatures higher than 24°C /76°F, and combined with the castor oil (1st ingredient) which has a slow absorption rate, it makes for a final product that does not get easily into the skin when it’s hot outside.
Definitely an interesting product, I’d say! I’m thinking that I’d probably prefer Quartz instead. I really do like the glossy look of all of these!
Glossy can be fun!
Had been eyeing these for some time but this plus the latest cloud paint review might put me over the edge! Thanks for the application info, too!
I can cleanse very successfully with coconut oil, but it doesn’t work as something I can leave on my face. This might work for me as a body product.